# Memories of the Lost Flying Dutchman



## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Long, long ago, in a pipe smoking universe far, far away, Flying Dutchman burned a swath of destruction across pipe smokers far and wide. I know. I was there.

It was an extremely thin gauge Cavendish. I really don't know the kinds of tobacco that comprised it without looking it up, because I had no idea then. No Latakia or perique. It was a beautiful yellow -- sunlight yellow. Say, Acapulco gold, if that helps. It tasted sweet, especially early on, like light vanilla toffee, but it didn't cloy the palate. 

Absolutely had to be fresh, which bore it's own burden, because if packed tight enough to combust without a fireworks, it burned wet. The beginner (like me at the time) would now have to puff harder and harder as the bowl progressed, just to keep it lit, and having gone out, one would have to fire it to molten kryptonite incandescence to get the wet blob going again. "Bite" doesn't quite do justice to resulting tissue damage. 

With obstinate perseverance, I eventually learned how it could be done. The ticket was to relight it before it went out and between relights ALMOST let it go out by DRAWING slow and very easy. Do not puff the Flying Dutchman or he will cut a swath across the inside of your mouth worthy of a Jedi laser sword. It was like keeping Dr. Frankenstein's monster at bay by continually striking the next match in the box. Luckily I used a Zippo at the time.

As long as you didn't let the ember actually die, that low key candy like flavor came back to life with every relight. The monster kept its distance while you DREW the smoke from the bowl. Done right, it was almost like drinking smoke. It was a difficult piece of music, almost unplayable; not suitable for a garage band.

Its most astounding feature was its room note. Nonpareil. It never invaded the ambiance, rather pervaded it as honeysuckle sweetens a garden. You could smoke it in an ER and no one would complain.

I miss Flying Dutchman, but I know he has sailed away. I dare not stain his memory with modern imitations. Nor will I take seriously the complaints of those who failed to master the technical difficulties presented in that perilous aquamarine tin with those sinister golden strands, telling us of their terrors at sea. They never learned to sail.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing;Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,And drinking largely sobers us again.Fir'd at first sight with what the Muse imparts,In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts,While from the bounded level of our mindShort views we take, nor see the lengths behind;But more advanc'd, behold with strange surpriseNew distant scenes of endless science rise!" -- Alexander Pope


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## d_day (Aug 24, 2008)

Very nice write up. Makes me wish I could find some.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

d_day said:


> Very nice write up. Makes me wish I could find some.


Thanks, d_day. Thought I'd get a laugh or two, but this seems to have bombed big time! :lol:

Now that I know more, I'd like to have some to throw in with some PA.


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## El Gringo (Nov 30, 2010)

You talking about this??


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

El ****** said:


> You talking about this??


That's the stuff! The picture reminds me of the scene in the library from "Ghostbusters", with the sweet little old lady ghost who turns into a really scary spook.


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## Xodar (Mar 4, 2011)

Great review Jim, I am sad I don't have the chance. This was my father's go-to tobacco during the couple years he smoked a pipe in my early childhood. He still fondly remembers the Dutchman.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Xodar said:


> Great review Jim, I am sad I don't have the chance. This was my father's go-to tobacco during the couple years he smoked a pipe in my early childhood. He still fondly remembers the Dutchman.


Was checking for a picture of the tobacco itself, but I could locate only one picture with an open can. Not yellow enough or fine enough. What's with that? Is that guy down in Texas with the Stonehaven tins at work again? :lol:

This picture of the Atadis imitation is closer to the right color, but the ribbon doesn't seem as fine or as long threaded. I know I said in my review that I'd brook no imitiations, but I might have lied. :wink: If I can find this somewhere besides pipesandcigars (ruinous NY tax), I might actually order a couple of ounces.

http://www.pipesandcigars.com/albufldubyou.html


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## El Gringo (Nov 30, 2010)

I opened my tin and its not very light at all, its dark. Looks just like Five Bros ( horse hair cut ) but with extra stems thrown in. Does smell pretty good though.

I'm gonna have to re hydrate this one day and give it a try. I was my Dads....guessing 1977 ish.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

El ****** said:


> I opened my tin and its not very light at all, its dark. Looks just like Five Bros ( horse hair cut ) but with extra stems thrown in. Does smell pretty good though.
> 
> I'm gonna have to re hydrate this one day and give it a try. I was my Dads....guessing 1977 ish.


Maybe drying out changed the color or the color of the product changed over the years. Sounds like the tin wasn't airtight, which is no surprise at all. Hope the rehydrating gets it back to a decent smokability. Good luck! Keep us posted! :tu


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I've seen much tobacco that darkens as it ages (though I'm no expert on the subject), which could explain it. Flying Dutchman was one of the first tobaccos I ever tried, and of course I fell victim to it's noobie-charring properties often, but that taste and aroma would not let me quit until the tin was empty.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> I've seen much tobacco that darkens as it ages (though I'm no expert on the subject), which could explain it. Flying Dutchman was one of the first tobaccos I ever tried, and of course I fell victim to it's noobie-charring properties often, but that taste and aroma would not let me quit until the tin was empty.


Makes me wonder if the Altadis imitation was constructed by people too young to remember the color and they merely went by inspecting the contents of an old tin for guidance. I also wonder about the strand size I saw in the image of an open tin I located. Seemed too coarse; did that change during the years it was produced? Do you remember it being ultra fine ribbon, or is my brain rotting away? That tobacco I saw in the picture looked fairly "normal" in ribbon gauge, thin but not thin enough by half. The old stuff was cigarette tobacco thin, wasn't it?


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

To be honest, I'm not quite sure. It was almost forty years ago, after all!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

El ****** said:


> I opened my tin and its not very light at all, its dark. *Looks just like Five Bros ( horse hair cut )* but with extra stems thrown in. Does smell pretty good though.
> 
> I'm gonna have to re hydrate this one day and give it a try. I was my Dads....guessing 1977 ish.


You know, I think I must have missed this post somehow, because I never noticed that Bob said it was like Five Brothers!  I also notice that the link to Russ' match blend has not changed since this thread first appeared! :shock: Still, the match blend does not look much like Flying Dutchman in terms of cut, and I'm not sure whether that's an improvement or not. On the upside, P&C is now located in Pennsylvania, so I'm starting to get curious. I need some ODF for the review anyhow, so I may have to spring for a sample, just to satisfy my curiosity.


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